2009...Twilight * New Moon

What a fun year...

to get the video and watch it over and over..

and then to see the sequel...

and see it a couple of times..

with scenery like this...

how can you not want to see it?

What a year it has been........

On October 30, 2009, a young girl, Melody Ross was innocently shot while she waited with many people to cross the street.


She was an innocent bystander.



You hear about things like that on the news, but never realize what INNOCENT bystander really means.....When it actually gets this close to you, you feel the pain and the loss. It brings it so close to you that you can't help but feel pain for the family and friends.......This was a tribute to Melody. She wasn't someone we knew, but she was quickly a friend after friday's football game. Yes, it was after the Wilson Homecoming game against Poly. It was a loss of a game, but it became a loss for the school, the district and the city as a whole and then affected more than just our city. Long Beach is one of the largest cities within the Los Angeles county, besides Los Angeles.....


It has it's problems, but it does have it's blessings...



This was taken on November 4, Wednesday. There was a candlelight vigil for Melody...

The football team was all there in uniform...






The kids and adults from Wilson and other schools, Lakewood, Poly, Millikan, Cabrillo, and Jordan, came...to celebrate the life of a young lady who has, touched others beyond what she did in life, she did in death....

It was a celebration that we need to reach out and touch others...

Let the candle burn bright....for a life cut short...

Rest...in Peace...

Community Service

World Card Making day

Making Cards for the Ronald McDonald House!

me, Tori, Tyler, Dena and Shelvena

AP Test

Waiting for Tori at the Greek Church in Long Beach. Really cool church, and has a beautiful blue tile roof...did I take a photo of that? NO, but the courtyard is really nice with flagstone.
As the kids piled out of the test room, Suki was crying because she was trying to get out to play. She loves kids, and playing...

They kept coming out and piling out. Over 260 kids took the AP English test

Finally, Tori comes out, exhausted, and glad to be out.

We went home because she really didn't have to go back to school...

New phone

New phone shopping! We finally got around to getting a new phone for Tori. She got money from her dad, and so we went shopping.

Don't ask me what it is. I have no clue. Just because I have the iPhone, people think I am IT saavy...not! However, this one slides, and uses the finger swooping, and whatever blings and beeps...and she likes to text on it. (it slides and has a text keyboard, plus it will do some of the things my phone does)

ps. She's in uniform because she took a photo for the senior year! (varsity uniform!)

Revlon Walk May 9, 2009

Revlon Walk 2009

Someone has the right idea....

Someone is really relaxed and has the life of...well, a life of a spoiled rotten um....hey, well....let's just be honest here...

Life of a spoiled rotton DOG....

I wonder, wonder who that is???

Is it the furry creature laying down on the quilt, or....the other one who just had surgery....and is sleeping on the couch???

Which one is the spoiled one????

If you guessed they're both spoiled...you're probably right..ah...the life..what a life....!!!

Surgery Thursday April 16

On our way into the hospital. Little did we know that this was going to be a day of terror not just because of the surgery but because of the shooting that took place at 11:45 am. Tori, reluctantly taking a photo before the surgery. Afterwards, we realized that it was a good thing we did take photos.

This is the entrance to the Woman's Birthing center. Later, we realized it was where the second shooting took place.

As Tori walks towards the Out patient center, where we were, this is where we sat and watched it unfold. The shooting took place around this spot where she's standing, and the guy ran across the way to the other side of the service road.

I didn't post this on thursday. It was too exhasting. We spent the whole day at LB Memorial Hospital...

Karen Ross waiting with me.

POST-OP (after surgery)

Tori had surgery, and so we waited in the waiting room...

One of the most eventful days, for just our own lives, and then something happened that was tragic...

A man shot 2 co workers, and then he shot himself.

We all were very terrified, and it was very scary...too close for comfort!

Driving! Wed April 15 Tax day, driving day!

Tori gets her

DRIVERS' Permit! PROVISIONAl....but at least she can drive!

But then..on the way home. we get into a car accident!

crash!
Mom was driving..not Tori..whew! but still, it was an experience!!!

Duck Ducks are BAAAAACk

well I had to actually look through my blog files, and did you know that the ducks came back 1 year ago, today???

and they're here!

REVLON Walk SATURDAY May 9th

We're Volunteering...are you? SIGN UP!

https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/la/secure/volunteer_registration.cfm

We did this last year, and had a great time....it is time to be aware, and join the fight against Breast Cancer!

This was our picture last year......We had a great time, serving the walkers with water!

VOLUNTEER for the REVLON WALK

Basketball Awards for the 2009 Season

Academic Award for 3.0 GPA

20 students on the Basketball team received Academic Awards

We might not have had a winning season, but we had great grades!

Tori also received the Coaches' Award, which was a really nice award given by the coaches for her excellent attitude in Basketball. I'm so proud of her!

Academic Award recipients!

Twilight DVD Release party

YES, we waited at MIDNIGHT...at Walmart to get our hands on the NEW Twilight DVD! We had to get it on that night and Walmart wasn't sure if there would be any people there...HA, but they did have fun...and it was calmly organized too! This is where we stood, and

These were the people in front of us.....

turn the corner, and this was the front of the line!

They even had cake...it was chocolate cake, with white frosting and red/black decorations...

Twilight DVD release Party at walmart...

we got out of there by 12:25...and then off to home to watch it...

Friday Night 3/20/2009

released at 12:01 am

crazy huh!

The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES comes to Long Beach

How many times have you ever seen anything like this? Well, as I was sitting in the car waiting at Bethany Church, which is just down the street from the Long Beach Airport, the Plane in the photograph, is Air Force One!

I grabbed my iPhone and sat and waited, while his plane was landing...and got this picture. I wish I had my slr with me but alas....it was at home....so, it was really cool to see the plane land!Then of course, he was going to a TOWN Hall Meeting at the Orange County Fairgrounds, by Helicopter, so I got to see Marine One flying over! There were 3 smaller helicopters, and then 1 larger one (which was the 3rd one in the photo) fly over!

Then on our way home, we drove around the airport and got to see the plane closer up!!! WAAAAY cool!